Statewide study of the direct support staff workforce.

Issues of recruitment and retention related to the direct support staff and how these issues affect the lives of people with developmental disabilities were investigated. Major findings included the following: (a) High direct support staff turnover and vacancy rates have negative consequences for many people who receive supports. (b) Direct support staff provide a vast array of services and have numerous job titles and job descriptions. (c) Direct support staff are inadequately compensated and often have to work more than one job. (d) Turnover rate and recruitment is a serious problem. The need to develop the role of the direct support staff into a valued profession is discussed and considerations for research and practice are provided.